Tag Archives: Sabah

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has described the spirit of unity and harmony among the people of Sabah and Sarawak as a vibrant example of 1Malaysia.

He said that there were many examples in both states of how Malaysians of different racial, religious and ethnic roots “can come together around the many things that unite us, instead of allowing the few things that divide us to drive us apart.”

“The story of Sabah and Sarawak is the story of 1Malaysia, and has informed and inspired my commitment to this concept.

“They are a testament to the fact that our differences unite this country,” Najib said in his personal statement in conjunction with Malaysia Day today to commemorate the formation of Malaysia in 1963 by Sabah, Sarawak and the then Malaya.

Citing the Gawai celebrations in longhouses in Sarawak as an example, the prime minister said, he could not help but think that the people of Sarawak had already adopted the values of 1Malaysia “long before I explained its various elements.”

He said that this scenario had driven his commitment, and that he believed that it had an important and lasting impact on Malaysia’s development.

“Malaysians of any race or creed need simply look to Sabah and Sarawak to gain an understanding of the incredibly strong and harmonious unity that can be found in accepting and respecting the diversity of our nation,” he said.

On Sabah, he said, what impressed him the most was the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit among the people in their development of a thriving ecotourism industry, turning Sabah into a significant contributor to the nation’s economy.

He acknowledged however that the economic progress in the two states was being hampered by inadequate transportation networks, underfunded schools and insufficient provision of services.

That was why he extended federal government grants to local authorities in Sabah and Sarawak, he said.

Najib also said that it was important for the government to provide the same opportunities to all and improve the lives of Malaysians regardless of race, religion “or the corner of Malaysia that they choose to call home.”

“In the end, whether we live in a remote longhouse or a high-rise in Kuala Lumpur, we are all Malaysians and we are all part of the 1Malaysia that we love,” he said.

In his blog http://www.1malaysia.com.my, Najib also recalls the time when his father Tun Abdul Razak witnessed the historic proclamation of Sabah’s independence in 1963.

Najib said he was 10 at that time “but I remember how proud he was during that momentous occasion. Sabah and Sarawak occupy a special place in my heart because of that history.”

He added that much of the country’s cultural heritage was tied to the icons of life in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Longhouses are as much a mainstay of life there as they are a symbol for our need as Malaysians to learn to live under one roof and to build up our national house together.

“When the sun rises over Malaysia, it shines first on Sabah and Sarawak. Our future as a country depends on our ability to work and live together,” the prime minister said.

Keningau: The Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) parties under Barisan Nasional (BN) should be given priority to contest in any new constituency that may be created in any of the existing KDM-dominated constituencies under the on-going Election Commission (EC) re-delineation exercise in Sabah.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, who is also PBRS President, also hoped the KDM communities would remain united and give their full support to the KDM-based parties which have been fighting for their interests.

He claimed non-KDM-based parties in the BN had demanded representation in any new constituency that may be created in the Interior under the re-delineation exercise.

He described this as “not a good action by our colleagues and kind of an attempt to marginalise.”

Kurup, who is Pensiangan MP, was speaking at a leader-meet-the-people session at Kampung Merapok, here.

Kota Kinabalu: Students in Sabah will soon be able to learn the Kadazandusun Language up to Form Five.

Sabah Education Department Director, Datuk Normah Gagoh, said the Curriculum Development Division of the Education Ministry has drafted a curriculum for the teaching and learning of the language up to that level.

“The department, on the other hand, has organised various professional training courses for those teachers involved in the implementation of the teaching in this language É all these efforts are meant to develop a human capital with Malaysian identity,” she said.

She said the Ministry as well as the department in Sabah have placed a strong commitment to the expansion of the Kadazandusun Language since it was first introduced.

Normah said this at the two-in-one launching of a Kadazandusun Language Colloquium and a Puralan Boros Kadazandusun Id Sikul (Development direction for the teaching and learning of Kadazandusun Language in School) Book at Le Meridien Hotel here Wednesday.

She said since the start of its implementation, the teaching and learning of the Kadazandusun Language has received positive response from the school administrators, teachers, students and parents.

She said presently 313 schools, including 53 secondary schools, throughout the State are offering this language as part of their curriculum.

“Some 736 teachers and 20,386 primary and secondary students are involved in the implementation of the teaching and learning of this language in schools,” she said.

Expecting the number to continue increasing, she said the department would require the full cooperation of such bodies as the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) as well as Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF).

She commended both the organisations for having contributed greatly to the implementation of the language.

The teaching and learning of the Kadazandusun Language was introduced at primary school level in 1997 and from there it was expanded in phases to higher levels of education.

SANDAKAN: A former secondary school principal has been charged with four counts of making false claims involving the purchase of dictionaries and workbooks amounting to RM23,342.

Pandir Lodah, 40, who is now attached to the Education Office here, pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Indra Ayub.

He was alleged to have committed the offences on April 1, 2 and 14 in 2003 when he was SMK Libaran principal.

He is alleged to have knowingly used four Government Purchase Orders containing false details with the intention of deceiving the state Education Department, in which he acknowledged the receipts of 400 dictionaries and workbooks that had not been supplied to the school.

Judge Indra fixed trial for Oct 22 and set bail at RM15,000 with two local sureties.

Pandir was represented by Counsel Shakinur Ain Karma while the prosecution was led by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Public Prosecutor Joyce Balasius.

In another case, former Karamunting People Development Leader Lawrence Tan Ken Yee claimed trial to a charge of abetting a former Village Development and Security Committee chairwoman to make a false claim of RM6,400 for road repairs and resurfacing in the state constituency on Nov 21, 2001.

Tan, 52, pleaded not guilty to committing the offence under Section 11(c) of the Corruption Prevention Act 1997.

Former Village Development and Security Committee chairwoman Wong Tzu Fun, 49, also claimed trial to having submitted a false claim to the Sandakan Municipal Council.

Sessions Court Judge Indra set bail at RM10,000 with RM 1,000 to be deposited and two local sureties each for Tan and Wong after fixing the trial for Nov 19 and 20.

This was one of the areas the country could look at seriously, to reduce the number of immigrant workers in the country while prioritising jobs for locals, said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

He noted the dependency on foreign labour was “very great”, to such an extent the government applied strong measures to ensure locals were employed in the country’s main industries.

“To get Malaysians to work, what is required are people with training, knowledge upgrade…in the case of Sabah, we have the Monfort Youth Training Centre, so what I want to do is try to see if their programmes can be tailored for the plantation industry, so there will be a ready source of employees when they graduate.

“I think this applies to the many training establishments that we have in the country,” he said after launching the ‘Career in Plantation Industries and Commodities Sector Talk and Exhibition here Sunday.

He said for a country employing so many immigrant labourers, it was therefore, not right to see its own people not being able to secure jobs.

The nation’s plantation industry, he said, was currently employing nearly half a million foreign workers, mainly from neighbouring countries, and more than 50 per cent are those in Sabah.

As at January this year, there are 1.9 million registered foreign workers in the country, a drop of 200,000 from 2.1 million registered foreign workers as at September last year, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in May.

Asked for reasons why locals were not entering the plantation sector, Dompok said it was based on a mixture of factors, adding that he was currently in talks with plantation owners to overcome this issue.

“Maybe, one way is to upgrade the facilities in the plantation, for example living acommodation or quarters,” he said.